The Construction Of Monitoring And Warning System For Flash Flood Defense In China

Flash floods often happen suddenly with little warning and also likely to induce secondary disasters such as landslides and debris flows. The work of flash flood defense is full of challenge because of the complex process of flash flood formation. In recent decades, flash flood disasters are increasingly witnessed in China due to the imbalance between rapid urbanization and outdated structural and non-structural measures. Chinese government, recognizing the problems, has directed its attention to more inputs on the study of flash flood defense. After some endeavors in recent years, a set of non-structural measures on flash flood defense has been established featuring Chinese characteristics. In these measures, monitoring and warning system is a core. This paper initiates with a general introduction of basic situation of flash flood disasters in China and follows with a detailed discussion of the monitoring and warning system. This work would provide merits and references to other countries and regions facing flash flood problems.